It's only about $10 difference so I'll probably go with DOT. I was just wondering if there was a real difference.

 

DOT lines are approved for highway use....

The DOT approved stainless brake kit lines are covered in teflon(?) to help prevent abrasion.

 

I ordered DOT stuff from Paragon. Suprisingly reasonable ($70 for all four corners).

 

Yeah I just bought those as well, very good price from Paragon. I bought stoptech stainless lines for my M Coupe and they were about $110 for a set of 4.

 

The DOT lines are SS covered with clear plastic. I've had them for 3 years and they work great.

 

I have non-DOT lines in my Turbo S street car. I have had them on the car for probably 9+ years as I put them on when I was still tracking that car. However October 2000 marked the time I started track in my NA so I must have put them on before then. Man it is amazing how time flies.

 

Just be aware that nothing is really "DOT Approved." It means it was tested to the DOT standard. I looked at that standard and am leery of applying it to stainless brake lines. It was intended to test rubber hoses so focuses on burst pressure and fitting attachment and not fatigue or overall lifetime. Stainless steel and rubber have very different behaviors long-term, obviously, especially for fatigue. Another failure mode for stainless lines is having the Teflon liner creep away from the ends while the rest stays put.

Lemme make this clear: there is no lifetime test in that DOT brake line standard.

My recommendation, and, yes, I'm an engineer, is to replace them on track cars every year or 20 track days and not put them on street cars. I've got them on my 928, have swapped many times and am planning to go back to rubber. I will miss the rock hard pedal.